Artificial Mates - Chapter 54

Each step echoed on the lonely street leading up a slope. At the end of the asphalt began a dirt road between high green grasses brushing against my fancy pants. My heart drummed loud in my ears. I couldn’t believe everything around here haven’t changed at all. I could easily picture myself at thirteen, coming back from school as I walk home. The images flooded my mind.

“Liliane, are you sure where you are going?” I peeked over my shoulder at Grant. Somehow, I have forgotten he was standing there. “There’s nothing here and I can’t get a proper connection. So my map is not updating,” he frowned. His comment made me check my own connectivity logo at the top right of my field of vision. There was less than one bar.

“It’s behind the trees over there,” I pointed beyond the patch of tall grass and to the sugarcane field. There were no houses around here; the only signs of civilization were cables that stretched over skinny electric poles.

“You never told us about your parents. Should I… be careful or something?” asked Grant with a hint of apprehension. Well, he was right to be a little scared. I was totally freaking out. I paused and turned back to him.

“Here!” I extended my hand. He took it without hesitation. My shaking eased when my skin met his. “It’s been thirteen years since… I was last here. The things I remember may not be exact. However, my mother is that strict woman with a dry personality. She works in the field and grows her own vegetable. She thinks I’m a lazy human being. I had poor health when I was little,” I sighed. “It didn’t help me socialize with others. Mom was raised in a tough way. She didn’t like having a weak kid,” I went on. Grant squeezed my hand it helped me moved forward on the uneven terrain. The sound of the village had faded behind. We could hear birds and insects going by, a light breeze carried the smell earth and vegetation surrounding us.

“It’s a little odd to be out walking in the wild,” said Grant. I chuckled at his comment.

“It must be your first time, right,” I smiled. He nodded with a frown.

“I don’t have any network at all and it worries me. I can still connect with the mating link. But the map is stuck and I can’t load the new terrain. So I don’t know what awaits us,” I laughed aloud.

“Welcome to human life back in 2020,” I grinned. “Back then, people didn’t have brain wave connectors, they weren’t connected and had to carry cellphones around to get service or connect to the internet. Out here in this lost place. There’s no network at all,” he nodded at me. I wasn’t sure he really got it.

As we advanced beyond the field the red roof of a house peeked next to three eucalyptus trees. My heart skipped in my chest. Grant pulled me closer to him.

-It’s going to be ok.

I nodded at him and went on. As we got near, the house appeared behind a rusty fence. One-story with a grey facade covered with moss and vines. Not in a good way. It looked abandoned. A pale reflection of the house I use to live.

“It is here?” I turned to Grant. He blinked then focus back at the house.

“Welcome home,” I said in a flat voice. I felt a shiver ran down my spine. We stood in front of the rusty fence studying the façade. The windows on the top floor had planks nailed over it. My window on the right, my room had the window completely blocked.

“I wondered what they did with it?” I couldn’t take my eyes off the window. So many memories flooded back. Cheerful laughter as we played in the yard. My eyes dropped to the unkempt grass. Our old rusty sling was rotting on the left. Vines crept on the metal, the chain that used to hold the wooden part was missing.

“Liliane?” Grant moved closer. A faint whine of the front door caught our attention. A man dressed in a dirty blue shirt and beat-up jeans looked up at us.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked. His short black hair waved in the wind as he crossed the distance separating us. I gasped in recognition. He stopped a couple of feet from the gate.

“Liliane? Y-you really came?” his face twisted with pain as he rushed to open the door and pulled me into a tight hug. “I’ve missed you, sister…so damn much!” he sobbed. Unable to respond to his overflow of emotion I stood rigidly against him. He was not the ten years old brother I left behind. He was now a sobbing grown man.

“Hmm, could you give me some room to breathe?” his massive arms were squeezing the life out of me. Thomas towered over me in size his wet light brown eyes gazed at me in alarm. He jumped away from a little surprised at my flat tone.

“Oh I’m so sorry,” he quickly wiped his face on his sleeves sniffing. His attention turned to Grant watching the whole drama unfolding. Thomas made a fail attempt to smile at him. Grant nodded back with a solemn face. I moved closer to Grant, I needed to feel him close. He spontaneously wrapped his arm around my waist making the tension fade away.

“This…” I paused when my voice break. I cleared my throat and tried again. “This is Grant and here is my younger brother Thomas,” I said. Thomas turned to Grant with arched eyebrows then extended a hand towards him.

“Your Husband?”

“Technically, I am,” smiled Grant. I almost choked on my own saliva.

-I’m not lying.

“Hmm, yeah,” I replied on a false happy tone. Thomas eyed us a second before he waved to follow him inside. I swallowed hard feeling the dread gripping my stomach.

-Don’t worry, just one step at a time.

I nodded at Grant before following Thomas to the front door.